Liturgy: The city of God

The following liturgy has been prepared for the third Urban Forum - co-sponsored by The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda Territory and The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory - which takes place this week in Cleveland, USA.

Economics, politics and the people of God
A liturgy for God’s people

SCRIPTURE | Luke 19:41-46, New Living Translation

But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”

Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices.  He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

PRAYER

Leader:

Come to our cities, Lord.
…to the restaurants where we eat
…to the hotels where we stay and sleep
…the bars where we keep company –
Come to our cities, Lord.

People:

Come to our cities, Lord.
…to the food lines and food banks
…to the motels and the park benches
…the night clubs and the alleys
Come to our cities, Lord.

Leader:

Come to our cities, Lord.
…to the places where we play
…to the places where we pray,
…to the places where we work
…and the places we call home.

People:

To the parks and the movie theatres
…the museums and galleries
…the malls and corner stores
Come to our cities, Lord.

Leader:

To the community club and the courthouse
…to the safe house and the sanctuary
…to the schools and the universities
Come to our cities, Lord.

People:

To the streets filled with people,
…to the young and the old,
…the rich and the poor,
…the hungry and the forgotten
Come to our cities, Lord.

Leader:

Come to our cities, Lord.
…to the places where Jesus still walks
…in the gifts of the weak and in hearts ready
…to receive as well as give.
On us,
In us,
For us,
Through us,
Around us,
Before us,
Christ.
Come to our cities, Lord

All:

Come to our cities. Amen.

PRAYER
God of love,
God of peace
God of Freedom
bring release
to the hungry
and oppressed
refugees and
dispossessed
God of hope
God of Grace
God of mercy
show your face
to the fearful
and the broken
prisoner, jailer
politician

SCRIPTURE | Isaiah 58, paraphrase by Sandra Ryan

Reader:

Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Speak as loudly and as honestly as the songs you sing.
Declare to the people their rebellion and to the Church its sins.
For day after day they seek me out, they seem eager to know my ways,
As if they were a church that does what is right and has not forsaken the first calling    given to it by God himself.
They ask me to reveal my will for them and seem eager for God to come near them.

All:

“Why have we done mission,’ they say, “and you have not seen it?”
“Why have we kept so busy, and you have not noticed?”

Reader:

Yet when you are involved in mission you do as you please and look down on the people    working alongside you .
Your mission ends in quarrelling and finding fault, and in developing a critical    spirit and self-righteous attitude.
You cannot engage in mission like that and expect your voice to be heard on high.

All:

Is this the kind of mission I have chosen?
Only three weeks for a person to fly to a foreign land and participate in programs he would never consider doing in his home church?
Is it only for participating in conferences and lifting your hands in safe, united
worship?
Is it only for a month to deny yourself the comforts and privileges you consider your fair due for the rest of the year?
Is that what you call mission - ministry acceptable to the Lord?

Reader:

Is this not the kind of mission I have chosen;
To stop being unfair in your attitudes and judgements on the people you live and work with;
To stop placing unrealistic expectations on those who do not do things the way you do.
To allow and encourage people to be who they were created to be and actively rid yourself of everything that divides you from others?
Is it not to take the money you spend on junk food and sponsor a foster child;
And tonight to invite that person who is not part of your “in group” to your house to just to hang out;
Is it not to resist buying that fourth pair of shoes you do not need and instead buy some runners for the child from the housing project down the road;
And not to ignore the immigrant in your very own neighbourhood simply because she is no longer in her romantic foreign country?

All:

Then that moment of discovery you have been waiting for will become very clear.
The emptiness and restlessness that has been hurting you will be healed.
You will be completely prepared for anything the Lord calls you to, whether home or away.
And people will see that the real reason you have done all this is because of your passion for God’s Kingdom.
It will not be hard for you to hear God’s voice or to know his calling because you will be living it daily.
You will be constantly aware of the strength and guidance of the Lord in all you do.

PRAYER

Leader:

God of broken people and broken places
We confess to you our love of comfort,
of the known and predictable,
of the safe and secure.
We recognize that you call us into liminal space
To leave what we know and venture with you into desert and wilderness, into blindness and discomfort
We want to follow you, but it’s hard to leave what we know
Help us to trust you, and to set out.

People:

On the journey of faith,
Far we have come, far we must go

Leader:

God of broken people and broken places
We thank you for all that Grace has been to us and to many others
We thank you for the space to listen, to grow, to create, to be challenged
We recognize that you are calling us on
To leave what we know and venture with you into new things, into engagement and participation, into creativity and risk, into new structures and opportunities
We want to follow you, but it’s hard to leave what we know and we’re not sure where we’re going
Help us to trust you, and to set out.

People:

On the journey of faith,
Far we have come, far we must go.

Leader:

God of rebuilt people and rebuilt places
You have plans for deserts and wilderness
‘Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
The thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
Grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.’
God of transformation we look forward to what you will do
With our lives and with Grace

People:

On the journey of faith,
Far we have come, far we must go.

SCRIPTURE | Luke 4:1-13, New Living Translation

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’ “Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”  Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’ ”Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’ ” When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

CREED | Brian McClaren

We believe that the living God is just
And that the true and living God loves justice.
God delights in just laws and rejoices in just people.
God sides with those who are oppressed by injustice,
And stands against oppressors.
God is grieved by unjust people and the unjust systems they create and sustain.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, and
God’s kingdom belongs to those willing to be persecuted for the sake of justice.
To God, justice is a weighty thing which can never be ignored.

We believe that Jesus, the Liberating King, came to free humanity from injustice
And to display the justice of God,
In word and deed, in life, death, and resurrection.
The justice which God desires, Jesus taught, must surpass that of the hypocrites,
For the justice of God is a compassionate justice,
Rich in mercy and abounding in love
For the last, the least, the lost, and the outcast.
On his cross, Jesus drew the injustice of humanity into the light,
And there the heartless injustice of human empire met
The reconciling justice of the kingdom of God.
The resurrection of Jesus proclaims that the true justice of God,
Naked, vulnerable, and scarred by abuse, is stronger
Than the violent injustice of humanity, armed with weapons, conceit, deceit, and lies.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is here, now,
Convicting the world of sin and justice,
Warning that God’s judgment will come on all that is unjust.
We believe that the Kingdom of God is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Empowered by the Spirit, then, we seek first God’s kingdom and God’s justice,
For the world as it is has not yet become the world as God desires it to be.
And so we live, and work, and pray,
Until justice rolls down like water,
And flows strong and free like a never-failing stream.
For we believe that the living God is just
And that the true and living God loves justice.

Amen.

SCRIPTURE | Psalm 49, New Living Translation

Reader:

Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, everyone in the world!
High and low,    rich and poor—listen!
For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight.
I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

All:

Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me?
They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches.
Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God.
Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough
to live forever and never see the grave.

Reader:

Those who are wise must finally die,    just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves, but their fame will not last.
They will die, just like animals.
This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise.

All:

Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates.
But as for me, God will redeem my life.
He will snatch me from the power of the grave.

Reader:

So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
and their homes become ever more splendid.
For when they die, they take nothing with them.
Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success.
But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day.
People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.

PRAYER | M. Norvel Young

You are wondrous to see and know. Your glory outshines the purest gold or the clearest diamond. Take away our pride in possessions, Father, and give us humble hearts of service and compassion. Help us not to place our hope in the uncertainty of money, but in you, who generously gives us everything we need. Make us rich in good deeds and in helping others, which you have created us to do. Tune our minds and souls to the same frequency as yours so that we don’t overlook the poor, the hungry, and the destitute. Focus our eyes on the opportunities that come our way every day to touch others with your grace and truth. Help us to avoid the dangers of wealth and to grasp the joys of service. Amen.

SCRIPTURE | Revelation 21 & 22, paraphrase by Geoff Ryan

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth and a holy city – a new ____________ coming down from God out of heaven like a bride dressed beautifully for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He has moved into the neighbourhood and will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever! I am making everything new!”, God said.

Then one of the angels took me to a high mountain and showed me the holy city, the new ____________, descending out of heaven from God. It was radiant with God’s presence and sparkled with cleanliness. It was valued and cared for and loved by those who lived there. The city was a safe and secure place, protected by justice and mercy, the laughter of children filled the streets and no violence was ever heard. Evidence of God’s presence and his people was everywhere. Men and women and children from the four corners of the earth were welcomed and invited to come to the city and live there.

I saw no temple or church building in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God shines and the Lamb is its light and there is no darkness. All the nations will find their way to the city because of this light, both the powerful and the powerless will make their home here. Its gates will never close at night – because there will be no night. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who brings such things with them and who is unwilling to leave them outside the city.

I had a dream in which an angel showed me a river flowing with the water of life and the water was as clear as crystal. It started from the throne of God and ran right down the center of the main street of the city. On both sides of the river, pushing up through the cracks in the pavement, grew trees of life each bearing twelve crops of fruit - a fresh one each month! And the leaves of the trees were used to make medicine that healed the pain and the sicknesses of the many nations who lived along the street.

No longer would everything be cursed and broken. God has moved into the neighbourhood and people will worship and serve him now. They will be able see his face in each others eyes and his name will appear everywhere – on billboards and baseball caps, on hoodies and in every home. There will be no darkness anywhere - no shadows, no night. The presence of God will shine into every nook and cranny. Every person will be a homeowner and will live secure and safe.
Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen can be trusted and will come true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets and preachers, has sent his placed angels among you to let you know what will happen soon.”
“I will arrive soon! Those who read and follow the words written in this book will be blessed.”

I, ____________, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down in wonder to worship at the feet of the one who showed them to me. But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am simply a servant of God - just like you and your brothers and sisters. Just like everyone who obeys what is written in this book. You should only worship God – not anyone or anything else!”

Then he gave me some instructions: “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near. Meanwhile, the violent will continue to be violent and the corrupt continue to cheat. Those living good lives must continue to do so and those striving to be holy continue to strive.”

“I will move in soon. And when I do, the neighbourhood will change and each person will receive the appropriate reward or consequence for their actions and choices. My presence will be the first word and the last word – new beginnings will start with my coming and I will bring an end to all the wrong in the community.”

Blessed are those who prepare themselves for the changes coming. They will be allowed to have the run of the city and live their lives fully and without fear. Those who live by deception and violence, who steal and are full of greed and who respect no one and nothing and fear neither God nor man, they will have leave the neighbourhood and the city.
“It is Jesus who has sent this message to the churches in the city. He is the source of all and any power and the one who gives and takes all wealth. The sun rises and sets with him. The beginning of everything and the end of all things are in him.”

The Spirit of God and his people, the Church, stand alongside this river and invite everyone in the city to, “Come.” Anyone at all – anyone - who hears this invitation, can offer it to another and say, “Come.” Anyone who is thirsty, “Come”. Anyone who wants to drink as much as they can from this water of life - please come.

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